How well does Act work with Lotus Notes?

[mikefm101]

Hi,

Just joined a new company that uses Lotus Notes ver 6.5.  I've been an Act user for decades, currently on Act 2010,  and will behard pressed to give it up.

My experiences have all been with Outlook, and before I lkoad Act on the new Lotus enabled machine I am wondering if this makes sense.

Most of the searches here have been yes, it will function, but then the inevitable link to 3rd party add-ons which makes me wonder will it work very well. 

Key questions:

Major use for me is attaching selected incoming and almost every outgoing email to contacts.  Is this handled the same way as in Outlook?  Are emails stored in Act the same way?

I don't think calendar integration is supported, which I am not terribly worried about.  Are there any other major items that are missing?

I *think* Act 2011 supports synching the Outlook contact directory with Act (I may have misunderstood this, tough), is that true for Lotus Notes as well?  I'm less worried about calendar integration. 

Anyone using Lotus with Act and happy, or did they feel compelled to buy something else to make it allwork properly?  Companionlink is on my radar screen of add-ons, but I want to know what will work before I spend $100's on add-ons. 

Hope someone can help....

Thanks! Mike

[chieff]

I can't vouch for it, but a local company in my area offers a link between ACT! and Lotus Notes, called LinkPoint Connect.  Price looks like $155/license + 20%/year S&M.  Apparently it logs emails, but doesn't offer calendar and contact sync.

Here's a link to their website:

http://www.linkpoint360.com/ConnectFeatures.aspx

[gmartin]

ACT! 2010 and 2011 are both compatible with Lotus Notes 6.5.  The integration with Lotus Notes is simply that ACT! will use Lotus Notes as the conduit for sending/receiving emails.  It will not synchronize with the Lotus Notes calendar.  The add-on referenced may have more features than our standard connection.

For reference, here are links to the system requirements for ACT! 2010 and 2011:

ACT! 2011 System Requirements

ACT! 2010 System Requirements

[mikefm101]

>The integration with Lotus Notes is simply that ACT! will use Lotus Notes as the conduit for sending/receiving emails. 

I'm still unclear as to whether I can attach emails within Lotus Notes to contacts as I do with Outlook? 

Mike

[gmartin]

When ACT! is integrated with Lotus Notes, ACT! will be using it's own 'Internet Mail' program to compose email messages > it will then use the integration with Lotus Notes to send the email.  Sending emails from within ACT! will automatically record them to History and within the ACT! Internet Mail program you can attach received emails to contacts.

[mikefm101]

OK, thanks.

This a much different interface than one experiences with Outlook, then.

I need to decide if this is a good path for me or not. 

Mike

[chieff]

Using the LinkPoint product, you send and receive email using the Lotus Notes email client.  An add'l menu is added that let's you attach inbound and outgoing email to the corresponding record in ACT!  It also let's you lookup your ACT! database as an address book and select contacts/email addresses as recipients.

So bottom line, you don't use ACT!'s email editor when using LinkPoint 360

[GLComputing]

Another possible option, not really for single user but good if the company is looking at it, is ACT! for Notes by Vigilus - it's a true Notes app.
http://www.glcomputing.com.au/main/70/3

[bresiu]

Mike,

What did you decide and what was the outcome?

I am a Lotus Notes user on a corporate platform and have heard that Act! for Notes provides greater functionality for mass mailing and mass emailing.

Did the contact sync work as expected?

- Brent

[mikefm101]

Hi,

Actually neither.

I was switched to Outlook about a month after I sent this in, so never really messed around with it.  Next, we are switching to GMail in a month or so. 

New role doesn't have me using Act that much anymore anyway. After using it daily for 20 years I haven't looked at it in months now.

I did discover there was extremely little integration between Notes and Act.  I could look at Notes emails through the Act email client, and then attach messages that way, but signatures, etc, were all via Act, not Notes.  Act's email client is pretty basic, so I ended up just having two separate systems.  If Sage says it is "integrated" with Notes that would be a stretch.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Mike